MLB Player News

Giants manager Gabe Kapler confirmed that Cueto (lat) would be activated from the 10-day injured list over the weekend to start Sunday's game against the Padres, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The Giants have previously earmarked this upcoming Sunday as Cueto's most likely return date when he was shut down with the Grade 1 right lat strain in mid-April, so his rehab program appears to have unfolded as expected. Since Cueto hasn't pitched in a game in three weeks, the Giants could be conservative with his workload Sunday, so fantasy managers may want to hold off on activating him right away. Cueto's impending return will likely result in Aaron Sanchez or Logan Webb losing out on a starting role, assuming Kapler doesn't choose to expand the rotation to six men.

Fried (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Wednesday.

Fried's activation was expected, as the southpaw will start Wednesday's game against the Nationals. The 27-year-old completed a live batting practice session with no issues Thursday and will be pitching on normal rest. Fried posted an 11.45 ERA and 2.55 WHIP in 11 innings across his first three starts of the season before he was placed on the injured list.

Keller (2-3) tossed 5.2 shutout innings against San Diego on Tuesday to earn the win, allowing two hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

Keller turned in his best performance of the season against a strong San Diego offense. He ran into trouble the third time through the order and needs to work on going deeper into games to live up to his billing as a former top prospect in the organization. The right-hander will take a 6.29 ERA into his next start.

Wood settled for a no-decision in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Rockies after allowing two runs on four hits and a pair of walks while striking out two batters across five innings.

Wood got off to a solid start, holding the Rockies scoreless until a two-run homer by C.J. Cron in the fourth inning. That would be the only damage of the night against the 30-year-old, who left the game with a lead that was spoiled by Colorado's seventh-inning rally in the second end of Tuesday's twin bill. Wood wasn't quite as dominant as he was in his last start, also against Colorado, when he took a no-hitter into the sixth while fanning a season-high nine batters. Still, he's undefeated on the season (3-0) and has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his starts. The southpaw will carry a shiny 1.96 ERA and 0.78 WHIP into his next projected start against Texas on Monday.

Nola (3-1) allowed one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out 10 across six innings to earn the win Tuesday against the Brewers.

Nola allowed hits to two of the first three batters he faced, accounting for the only earned run against him. He settled in quickly thereafter and racked up his second double-digit-strikeout performance of the season. Nola has delivered as expected through seven outings, maintaining a 2.89 ERA with a 49:7 K:BB across 43.2 innings. He's projected to take his next turn through the rotation Sunday at Atlanta.

Lauer (1-1) allowed six runs (two earned) on eight hits and no walks while striking out seven across six innings Tuesday to take the loss against the Phillies.

Lauer surrendered three home runs, which accounted for five of his six earned runs. His line was spared by four unearned runs, which came after Travis Shaw misplaced a ball at third base in the the third inning. Even so, it was a concerning performance for Lauer, who allowed 1.6 HR/9 in 2020. As for this season, Lauer has a 1.64 ERA with a 10:2 K:BB across 11 innings. The Brewers' pitching staff is currently decimated by injuries, which could result in Lauer receiving another turn through the rotation Sunday in Miami.

Steele (1-0) earned the win in Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Dodgers after pitching a scoreless ninth inning, walking one and fanning two.

Steele was coming off a woeful outing in which he allowed three runs (and two homers) in just one inning at Cincinnati on May 2, but he bounced back quickly and recorded his first win of the season while shutting down the Dodgers in style. He tossed 11 of his 18 pitches for strikes, and while this was an encouraging performance, Steele is expected to remain in a low-leverage role with the Cubs at least on a short-term basis.

Ynoa (3-1) picked up the win Tuesday in a 6-1 victory over the Nationals, giving up one unearned run on four hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out four.

The rookie right-hander not only stymied the Nats' bats over 96 pitches (63 strikes), he supplied most of the offense for Atlanta with a grand slam in the sixth inning off Tanner Rainey, Ynoa's second homer of the year. He's delivered three quality starts already this season, and Ynoa will take a sparkling 2.36 ERA and 38:8 K:BB through 34.1 innings into his next outing.

Alcantara didn't factor into the decision in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Diamondbacks after allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk over six innings while striking out six.

The right-hander pitched well enough to win, throwing 69 of 95 pitches for strikes in his fifth quality start of the season, but despite exiting with a 3-2 lead, Alcantara came away empty-handed as the bullpen let the tying run cross the plate before the Marlins' offense erupted in the late innings. He'll take a 2.95 ERA and 42:13 K:BB through 42.2 innings into his next outing.

Marquez (1-3) took the loss during Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Giants after giving up eight runs on six hits with two walks and one strikeout over two-thirds of an inning.

It was a complete disaster for the right-hander, as he allowed the first six batters of the game to reach base while throwing only 17 of 36 pitches for strikes. Marquez had a 3.43 ERA through his first five starts of the season, but the 28:16 K:BB he posted during that stretch spelled trouble, and he's struggled in his past two outings, giving up 12 runs.